Lessons to learn
by Monetre
Summary: AU: Sometimes you meet someone and there are clear signs trying to make you realize that the two of you, on some level, belong together. Whether you believe in coincidence or fate, it's a dangerously exciting new experience that some people should learn to embrace instead of running away from it.
1. Introduction

What a nightmare.

The young man could not deny that he was happy about his friend's silver anniversary, but he certainly could not share every else's excitement about the party.

\- "I want to see you there, Graham." Jack Crawford had said when he invited him. "And don't worry, you'll share a table with more people like you. I'm sure you'll get along!" He assured him with a cheerful laugh.

He knew that it was a really important day for him, and Will wasn't obliged to talk to everybody and make friends, he could simply follow the basic protocol of such social gatherings and everything would be fine. Or at least he hoped so.

Although he had not spent more than and hour and a half at that party, once he gave the happy couple his greeting the happy couple he felt that his work there was don't and he already felt like leaving. The music was too lound for his taste, as well as the people. So many voices surrounded him, babbling and gabbling intelligible things, others felicitously dancing around, some of them quite chipper without paying attention to the rest of them seemed to threat to hit Will by accident.

\- "C'mon darling! Let's go dancing." Said the woman next to Will as she dragged her husband to the dance floor. Poor man.

And so, the other members of the table decided to imitate them, leaving their half-eaten dishes to have some fun with the rest of the party. When Will lifted his gaze from his plate he found himself alone with another man he had just met and whose name he hadn't even bothered to remember. He tried to avert his gaze, but his reaction was slow when he noticed the brown eyes that turned to see his.

\- "Jack told me about you." The man said in an accent Will had never heard before. "You really are a man of few words, Will Graham."

To that comment he couldn't help grimacing. The truth didn't offend him, but he was a little bit annoyed by the fact that his friend had, apparently, been gossiping about him. If Jack had taken the time to tell this stranger things about him he could've done the same for Will and give him an idea of the kind of people he had settle him with.

\- "You may have noticed that socializing is not my forte." He considered leaving the conversation there and continue eating, but instead he decided to try and be civil. "I'm sorry, would you tell me your name again?"

\- "Hannibal Lecter." He replied after finishing his dish. The elegance of his movements and the fine suit he was wearing made him feel like he probably looked like a runagate compared to him.

\- "So... How'd you met Jack?" Will asked out of curiosity.

\- "We worked together some time ago."

\- "Oh, you are in the police?"

\- "No, I'm a psychiatrist." He explained. "For a while I practiced forensic psychiatry, but I found that it didn't suit me well. What do you do for a living?"

\- "I'm just a professor."

The casual talk continued for a while and Will was surprisingly comfortable with it. Unlike most people Dr. Lecter didn't seem to be disgruntled by his avoidance of eye contact and personal questions weren't inquire, it was just a quiet conversation to kill time.

The professor discovered the other's birthplace when he asked about his accent and thanks to the way Hannibal commented about the food served at the reception Will was able to see the other's love for the culinary arts. When he pointed that out their talk quickly turned into a conversation and debate about art and philosophy. _An authentic epicurean_ , Will said to himself. How little he had had to talk about himself, he realized then and a soft smiled appeared on his face.

\- "Sorry?" Will asked when he noticed that Hannibal had asked him a question he hadn't heard.

\- "I was just curious about what you're thinking, it was as if you'd disappeared for a moment. Is there something wrong?"

Will lowered his gaze for a second and ruffled his locks.

\- "No, don't worry. It's rather the opposite... I mean, I guess I'm not entirely used to talk for this long. At least not outside the school." He let out a soft nervous laugh. "I'm a man of few words, as you said..." His words trailed off and led to an awkward silence between both men.

\- "Are you sure? We don't have to keep talking if you're feeling uncomfortable." His blue eyes were still fixed to the table, but he looked back at him when Hannibal moved his chair.

\- "No." The young man said. "It's not that. Stay... if you want."

\- "...Alright." Hannibal responded vehemently as he resumed his place at the table.

\- "Sorry."

\- "There's nothing to apologize for."

\- "Maybe I didn't express myself clearly. What I was trying to say was that I didn't expect this, to find someone to talk to... I guess I'm happy we can talk, without it being uncomfortable. Until now but, beyond that... Everything is fine." His lips curled up into a small hint of a smile. "What were you telling me before all this?"

If Will had smiled, Hannibal returned that gesture to him before continuing from where he had stopped. There was no other awkward silence after that point.

Just a professor, he had said. A simple and socially awkward one. The psychiatrist wasn't sure if it had been a good decision to have spent most of the party with Will Graham, perhaps it'd have been better to try and talk with someone else. The man was cultured, he would grant him that, talking to him had certainly been more interesting that talking to that married couple bound to failure that was sitting next to them at the beginning of the night. Was he interesting? Intriguing would be the appropriate term? He hadn't said much about himself, but Hannibal hadn't asked either.

Once he arrived home he poured himself a glass of Chianti to drink as he pondered. It had been a weird night, it felt that way for him even if so far he hadn't been able to discern the reason of it. After feeling the scent of the wine he took a sip, but he couldn't savour it. Inquietude was all he felt and the doubt of why everything was so off that night was clouding his mind. He rubbed his face with the palm of his hands as if he were trying to rake over the unresolved query.

Leaving the unfinished glass on the ebony table he decided to take a cold shower to relax and wash out all the accrued onus of the day. All he needed was to relax and go to sleep. He was free the next day so it was better to go to bed early to enjoy the morning doing what he loved without the pressure of having to be ready for work.

The cold water had been a good choice. The tension of his body seemed to slide out of it with every drop of water, although it didn't seem to do much for his mind. Random bits of his conversation with the professor earlier still popped up inside his head without reason.

Drained, he didn't even bother to dry his head. Who cares if he wet his pillow if it meant to soon enter the realm of Morpheus. A good night of sleep was all he needed to recover, there was nothing more effective than that, no matter how uneasy he could feel.

After closing his eyes, Hannibal found himself dragging his tongue across someone's midsection. The scene is dark and he can't see who is with him and that moment. Without caring about his partner's identity he kept nipping lightly at the porcelain skin, leaving red spots the entire way. His excitement increased as he heeded the moans that escaped from the other's lips while he goes lower and lower.

\- "Stop." He heard the man say.

Of a sudden movement the roles are inverted and that masculine figure is now on top of him; he can finally see his face. The deep blue eyes he had met that day are looking up at him seductively before deftly pulling down his underpants. In arousal he woke as soon as that scruffy boy buried his face against his nether regions.


	2. Rapprochement

_What do you think you're doing? You fool..._

Almost a week had passed trying to convince himself that he'd never see the professor again and against his better judgment he had decided that he wanted to talk to him one more time. He didn't knew why, he still felt as confused as the night he had met. What reason did he have to want to see him once again? Will wasn't the first person to visit him in his dreams that way and he probably wouldn't be the last. The idea of stalking those people had never crossed his mind, dreams are dreams. So, why was he there? Waiting outside his workplace, having no idea of how to proceed if he actually met Will there. Such a juvenile idea and a complete waste of time.

He didn't have anything else to do that afternoon, but any other thing would be more fructiferous than mimicing the behavior of a young infatuated girl.

\- "Doctor Lecter?" The dulcet tone of the professor's voice froze the older man for a second. Trying not to look eager, Hannibal simply glanced at him over his shoulder.

\- "Will? What a surprise to see you." _Acting_. Said an ironic voice in his head.

\- "Here is where I work."

\- "Hm." Pursing his lips he pretended to look around the place. "Right, I remember you mentioned it... I just decided to take a walk." _Perfect. Giving explanations that no one asked for was a clear_ _indication of the truth_. With his understanding of human nature he could've done a lot better, but it was crystal clear that this day he wasn't himself.

By the look Will gave him he was sure that he was about to say a complimentary sentence such as 'Enjoy your walk' or 'Have a nice day' and go away, but he didn't.

\- "I have some free time until my next class begins and it's lunchtime... We could get something to eat and chat if you have nothing else to do." He suggested with a swift shrug. Just a casual prompt that took Hannibal aback though he did not intend to reject such offer.

\- "Sounds good."

It was the professor who chose the place, a rather dingy family restaurant in Hannibal's opinion. By the way the waitress greeted Will it seemed that he went there quite often, after all it was close to the campus.

Will asked for a simply meal, nothing too special that required waiting for it until it was done. On the other hand, Hannibal ordered just a coffee, not because he wasn't hungry but he didn't like the appearence of that place. He'd have definitely chosen a finer restaurant.

The same way it did the night they met, the conversation was pleasant and smooth, both appeared to be comfortable with each other's presence and that was all Hannibal could've asked for. His aimless crossing of the day had been successful in the other, the only thing that upset him a little bit was the feeling that Will was being restrained with him and unknowingly he wanted Will to be as open and affable as he felt with him.

\- "Hannibal." He blurted out in the middle of the conversation when Will when referred to him as _Doctor Lecter_ for the tenth time. It wasn't something that annoyed him, on the contrary, he was more comfortable when people addressed him that way but with this man everything seemed to be different, unfortunately. "No need for formalities."

\- "Alright." Will replied with a hint of a smile on his face. "People with doctorates often seem to enjoy reminding people about their academic degree."

\- "I'm not like that."

\- "I'm glad, Hannibal." Maybe it was silly and sappy, perhaps it didn't have any importance, but hearing Will saying his name had made him happy.

There was a pause, Will took another bite of his lunch and Hannibal's coffee remained untouched. His mouth opened without previous thinking.

\- "So... Do you live alone?"

\- "Pardon?"

It wasn't the kind of question you ask in such circumstances, but his curiosity about the personal life of the professor had won against his most sensible side.

\- "Never mind, I didn't mean to be prying. I'm sorry."

\- "Well... I live with my dogs. Seven dogs."

\- " _Seven_ dogs? I can't even see myself with one pet." - "You never had any pets?" The alluled shook his head slowy. "Don't you like animals?"

\- "Yes, I like them. But I'm not sure if I'm ready to take on the responsibility of caring for the life of another being." He replied in a semi-jokingly tone, though his next words were sincere. "Unlike you, I'm pretty sure you are very good at it."

\- "I try... But sometimes I feel I'm better at taking care of them than taking care of myself."

\- "And why is that?"

For a second he considered replying to his question, but when he noticed that Hannibal was looking at him directly at his eyes, Will had to avert his gaze.

\- "I'm sorry, I have to go now." He said, almost stumbling on words as he pulled his wallet to pay for his coffee. "My class will start in a couple of minutes."

Smitten, Hannibal glanced at his wristwatch. Perhaps this time he had pushed too hard.

* * *

For the rest of the workday he felt uncomfortable without being able to signalize the reason. During class he stumbled with words and he felt more uneasy than usual with those eyes that were fixed on him.

 _It was just a simple question_ , he said to himself, _an innocent question and I ran away from it like an idiot_. Leaving that corrosive feeling of stupidity aside, he also felt guilty for such action, walking out on Hannibal like that had been offhand since he hadn't meant any harm to him in their talk.

When the class was over and the room was empty, Will lingered there for a couple of minutes to think in the serenity of solitude. Should he apologize? Perhaps the other man hadn't even noticed that he left to avoid responding, maybe he had believed his excuse and saying sorry would be in vain not to mention detrimental.

 _I'm overthinking. And why should I care? We barely know each other._ And yet, deep inside he had the feeling that this man knew him better than others, in these two encounters they had had, he spoke about himself more than with other people. Truth be told, he had talked more than with others in general since he wasn't I used to hold nor interested in having long conversations.

Will enjoyed Hannibal's company and he couldn't deny it but it wasn't something he would say outloud.

He was surprised when the class ended, he felt that the whole time he had been absent and wondered if his students had noticed his languishment. Perhaps it wasn't actually something new.

Nothing would be better than carrying on like any other day, why should it be any different? He would continue with his routinary life. _Go home, relax, read a little, spend time with the dogs, have a nice drink, nothing special nothing peculiar_.

But when he left, his plans suddenly changed.

\- "Taking another walk?" Will said facetiously to the man that was waiting for him outside the building.

* * *

Lunch with Hannibal became a habit, a surprisingly pleasurable one. He could say goodbye to those lonely breaks at the restaurant he always visited with a smile on his face. As much as he enjoyed solitude from time to time, having found someone congenial was new and pleasing to him. Yet, it still felt strange to him, changes were never easy to assimilate in his case.

At first it was just an hour a day, the psychiatrist would show up at the exact time Will left the campus to eat and they would go together, but as time went by confidence grew between them as much as the time they spent together increased. Like the first time they shared lunch Hannibal was waiting for him to finish his class so they could hang out a little more.

The few times Hannibal was a little late in the afternoon Will felt disquiet. He knew he would come, otherwise he would have given him a call to let him know that he didn't have to wait. _Not showing up without previous notification would be rude_. Although they had never agreed to such thing out loud, it'd become a silent pact between them.

\- "I probably look like a dog." He said to no one as he waited one more time.

This sort of friendship was new to him. Any little thing that could, somehow, be related to Hannibal brought the thought of him swiftly to Will's mind. Of course there were things that remind him of his other friends, but if didn't felt the same.

\- "Or maybe I'm a fox." _What was that thing the fox said to The Little Prince when they met?_ _If you want a friend, tame me..._

\- "I'm sorry I'm late." That voice put Will's thoughts aside, perhaps for the best.

\- "Don't worry." It wasn't as if he had been waiting for years, it probably had been less than half an hour.

\- "I passed in front of the theater and saw that they will perform The Duchess of Malfi this Saturday night, I thought you might be interested so I bought tickets for us."

\- "Saturday? I'm really sorry, I'm busy that day. But let me pay you for the ticket."

\- "No need." He said as he lowered his head slightly. "It's alright. I should have asked before if you had a prior commitment."

\- "I'm sure you have another person to go to the theater anyway... But," Will shrugged "to make up for it, we can go to my house today, have a drink."

\- "A drink sounds much better, actually."

* * *

Will's house appeared to be far away from everything. _Appropriate for his reclusive personality_. Some could think it was rare to be that elusive, but if he didn't bothered to show an ordinary facade he wouldn't mind to live in such place. Maybe somewhere a little more daintly than the farmlands. It seemed peaceful but who knew, after some time he could get bored of that.

A little house in the middle of nowhere. Hannibal thought that the view of Will's farmhouse resembled a painting.

\- "Time to meet the family." Will announced jestingly as he opened the door.

Even though Hannibal already new about his pack, he took a step back in surprise when he saw all those dogs inside the house jumping around them, thrilled to see their master and fascinated with the new visitor.

Once the boys calmed down a little, Will introduced them to Hannibal. Each dog happily waved their tale when they heard his owner calling his name, a chirpy cozy picture. Animals were a great company and even though he chose not to have any pet at home Hannibal liked them and he was glad to have the opportunity to pet those dogs. For some reason cuddling fluffy animals was soothing, not even him was able to deny such thing.

When Will banished to get the drinks Hannibal took the chance to inspect the house. It was the exact opposite to his own home. There was something about that place, leaving its ostensible messiness, that could make anyone feel welcome.

A drink soon became more than one and the talk lost the seriousness and intellectuality they use to have in previous meetings. However, both enjoyed it anyway. They had shared laughs before, but not like that. Drunk or not it was a sincere divertissement. The loss of inhibitions made space for the honesty that had been previously protected.

The dogs were lying around both men, looking at them curiously and tilting his head from time to time since they were intrigued by their owner's behaviour, it wasn't something they were used to see.

\- "I feel your family is judging us, Will." Said Hannibal jokingly as he patted the closest dog softly.

\- "Perhaps." He chuckled. "But we aren't doing anything bad, are we?"

People often say that time passes faster when you're having fun, that speed hikes up much more when you drink like both of them did.

\- "And there's one of them is obsessed with Michael Jackson... and with me."

\- "I thought you weren't supposed to talk about patients."

\- "True, but there are loopholes. You don't know who I'm talking about, it's just a person, an unnamed person, an unknown identity."

Letting out another laugh, Will glanced at the clock hanging on the wall and surprised, he rubbed tha back of his head in an apologetic way.

\- "Woah, I'm so sorry I withheld you this long, it's really late." He announced as he clumsily stood up to put the alcohol and the glasses away.

\- "No one is going to plead that I'm a missing person until twenty-four hours pass." And only his patients would noticed, most likely.

\- "It's been a lot anyway."

\- "In that case... I guess I should go home."

\- "I'm not sure if you should."

\- "Why?" He asked as he tilted his head curiously like the dogs did. "I don't think I'm _that_ drunk." Will laughed one more time, but he insisted that he should stay with him. "Are you worried about me?"

\- "Well... yeah."

At that Hannibal couldn't help but to smile. Blame the alcohol if someone asked him the reason behind his bliss.

\- "But may have noticed that I don't have a Guest room."

\- "I have to share your dogs' bed then?"

\- "Don't be absurd."

\- "Yours?"

\- "Unless you feel more comfortable sleeping on the floor."

For a moment Hannibal thought that Will was just messing with him, but by the sincere look of his face he knew that he had no problem with that. Sometime could be an enigma but in moments like this Will's mind was simple and straightforward, of course he wouldn't see anything weird about it, there shouldn't be.

\- "Is that wise?" Hannibal joked.

\- "Don't laugh," He said that though he was also giggling. "we're two grown men, not a couple of awkward teenagers."

\- "You are right about that, I stopped being a teenager a long time ago."

Hannibal teased Will asking if it would be appropiate for him to take his shirt off, but Will try not to disregard that comment.

\- "Go ahead. Get comfortable." Was it weird? Should he feel awkward about spending the night with a friend in the same bed? After all it was just that, he didn't have any other intention and he didn't believe Hannibal would have any either.

\- "I didn't imagine you would be so bold. Nice surprise."

This time the professor didn't reply, he just tuck himself into bed.

\- "Good morning, Hannibal." He realized that the other man trying not to laugh and at first he could not see the reason, but then he noticed his little misconception. "Why are you laughing now? ...Did I say 'morning'?"

\- "Yes, but it's not only that..."

\- "What?"

\- "You're adorable, did you know that?"

\- "Fuck off..." Will said and hit Hannibal with his elbow in puckish a way. He already felt his face flushed thanks to the alcohol, but if that hadn't been enough he was sure that thanks to those words his cheeks lit up with a light pink tint.

\- "Good night to you too, Will." The other replied as he closed his eyes and nuzzled his pillow lazily.


	3. Performance

The sunlight filtered through the windows of that little farm house in the middle of nowhere. Hannibal started to wake up as he felt the soft heat of the morning sun warming his skin, that was such a pleasant way to wake, so soothing.

His maroon eyes opened slowly, blinking a couple of times until he could clearly see the other man in front of him. A smile formed on his thin lips upon seeing that sleepy face, he felt so lightheaded the thought he was still asleep. They were so close he could feel Will breathing calmly, so close he perceived his body heat, he even believed he could listen his heart beating. At that moment Will reeked of sweat, alcohol and of course, like most of the time, he smell like a wet dog. Those weren't pleasurable scents but even with his bloodhound nose he didn't care.

He was so close to him that it was teasing, he felt tempted to reach out and brush Will's cheek with his fingers. If there was a God, he was putting Hannibal to the test.

 _No._

He glanced at the wall clock over his shoulder, he had woken up pretty early in the morning. He still felt groggy when he put his feet on the floor, staring at nowhere as he thought in silence. How would Will react? Nothing special had happened, nothing to regret, nothing to be ashamed of, and yet he felt giddy. _You're overthinking._

One of Will's dogs woke up as well, he yawned loudly and stretched on the floor before walking happily towards him.

\- "Good morning." Hannibal whispered as he petted the dog. The little innocent greeting brought a smile to his face as he remembered what Will said last night before falling asleep. Why'd he think of something like that with such endearment? _So juvenile_ , he felt embarrassed. _Should a grown man feel like this?_

The dog suddenly walked away, heading to the kitchen. Since someone was awake the little animal was probably waiting for Hannibal to feed him.

What kind of label could he put to his relationship with Will? Hannibal was trying to decide whether it was appropriate or not to go to Will's kitchen and prepare breakfast for the two of them. According to what he knew of him, Will spent more time eating abominations for the palate rather than real homemade food so he'd probably appreciate a change.

There wasn't much to work with at that small kitchen, only basics. An omelette was the simplest and probably the better choice, though to his personal standars it'd be rather poor. Eggs, cheese, butter, smoked ham some milk to make it silky; salt and pepper where the only seasoners Will seemed to know. The rest of the fridge's content just did not look quite right.

The luscious scent of breakfast began to awake the house gradually, first the dogs one by one and finally the smell woke their master, who was strangely surprised by the gesture of his friend.

\- "What are you cooking?"

\- "Breakfast." He simply replied as he turned the hotplate off. "I hope you like omelette."

Anything different to a reheated meal or a cup of cold milk with biscuits and poptarts was comparable with gourmet food for smiled and rubbed his face with the palms of his hands as if he was trying to wash off the headache produced by the hangover. Slightly slow-witted he got up up to feed the dogs.

Hannibal served the meal and hand Will a plate once his family of strays had their own. Still, the dogs looked at them as if they were inquiring the reason why they had dog food instead of whatever they were eating, it just wasn't fair for them, Will wouldn't mind sharing but sadly there wasn't enough for everyone and he was hungry like a wolf.

\- "This is delicious." Will said mouthful, but Hannibal only smiled at the compliment ignoring that little act of indecency. "You didn't have to do that."

\- "I was hungry as well. And I remind you that you brought me here on _your_ car and going back home walking didn't seem like an option."

"You're right." He replied in an apologetic tone. "I'm sorry. I will take you to your house as soon as I finish this."

\- "You should take a shower first. I assume you have work today and I don't think that you will be there on time if you have to drop me off and come back here to take a bath. Unless, of course, you don't mind teaching a class smelling like a vagabond."

This time Will chuckled. - "You're right again."

Once he was in the comfort of his own house, away from campestrial smells and that air full of dog hair, the first thing he needed to do was to take a long relaxing bath. He was wearing the same clothing he wore the day before, now it was all lined and he felt completely unclean.

When he began hearing the sound of the water filling the bathtub, he immediately thought of the moment when Will had gone to take a shower. Even if he had been quick, waiting for him at his place had felt almost as weird as watching him sleep. The most absurd ideas invaded his mind but somehow he felt that it had been due more than the simply influence of that dream he had had. It had been weeks ago and he hardly remembered the content, only the sensations were what remained on his memories. Those thoughts had to stop before things got even more awkward than they already felt for him. Luckily for him the sound of the rainfall stopping calm him a little bit, the temptations were finished or that he wanted to believe. But now, once again he felt tormented by his desires.

Why wasn't he able to think of him as a friend and nothing else? There was no logical reason for wanting more than that, Will wasn't anything special... _Is he?_ Maybe just unusual but still, Hannibal saw no reason to think of him differently than any other person he knew.

Was that the whole case? There was something that still bothered him. His desire wasn't clear either, what he wanted was more, that was all he felt and it was too vague. Assuming his dream come true, it was not enough, there should be something else entirely different than a one-night stand to fulfill a fantasy. _I want him in body and soul?_ The idea was so ridiculous that he dismissed it as soon as it appear in his mind.

Just when he came out of the bathroom, his phone started ringing. He had to hold back a sigh of annoyance when he heard the voice of one of his patients at the other side of the phone, the most emotional and needy of them to his dismay. Even though he was trying to act cool, it was obvious for Hannibal that he was crying while asking for a session that day, he sounded so desperate and desolate.

\- "Alright, see you later." He said as he hang up the telephone once they arranged the impromptu appointment. That ruined his plans for the day, he had to tell Will he wouldn't be able to see him that afternoon. _Poetic justice_. Maybe if he hadn't talked to Will about how tired he was of this patient and his nonsense, he wouldn't have to change his agenda.

Friday felt like a long day for Will, dull and tasteless. The following day, however, he had big plans. He enjoyed theater but he had had to decline Hannibal's offer since he could go to see a play, but a date with the woman he had admired for so long looked like a one-time opportunity.

It had been so long since they met, he had spent so much time trying to convince Alana Bloom to go out with him. She had gently refused, saying that she prefered not to go out with a work colleague but she had finally accepted. At first of course he was filled with joy, but later Will was not quite sure if she had done it out of pity or if she had finally taken an interest in him in any case he promised he was going to do anything possible to make their date wonderful. However, at that moment the atmosphere that surrounded them at the restaurant felt heavy and uncomfortable and judging by her expression he was not the only one feeling so, should that be a relief?

Alana looked beautiful and refined as always, in the eyes of anyone she stood among the rest of the women who were present at that restaurant and her appearance wasn't the facade of an empty shell, she was kind and smart, funny and enlightened.

Leaving aside the negatives she had given him, they had previously enjoyed each other's company and they had shared talks and interesting discussions, but the conversation wasn't fluent during that night, it even seemed forced.

 _Maybe I should have gone to the theater with..._

He stopped his train of thoughts, staring blankly his meal. At last he was having dinner with the most beautiful and brilliant woman he had ever known, and yet at that moment he wasn't able to feel the same interest he had felt for her before. Did the fascination end?

\- "Will." Her voice called softly, making him lift his gaze to meet her blue eyes. 'This isn't going well, isn't it?"

He pursed his lips. When you get what you wanted you discover that it wasn't what you needed, was this the case? Perhaps his previous interest lay with the unattainable of the situation so now it seemed that the enchantment was over...

\- "I'm sorry, I guess you were right all this time. This isn't... It's just..."

\- "Hey, you don't have to apologize." She assured him as she rested her hand on his across the table. "Maybe it's not what you planned but this can still be a nice dinner, right?"

Will smiled at her an nodded. Just dinner between friends, it could have been nice, but neither of them could deny how awkward the situation was.

With any luck, by Monday both would have forgotten this night and everything would be like it used to, they could pretend to forget it at least.

Once he drop Alana off, Will found himself having no idea of what to do. It was late, he wasn't tired, he wasn't hungry, he just felt like doing anything at all. It was as if he didn't have anything to do, any place to go, not even his own house seemed like an option. He wanted to go somewhere warm comfortable, maybe talk and clear up his mind.

It hadn't been a bad performance, but he had witnessed better representations of Webster's work. Could have it been more enjoyable with company? He felt far gone at the thought, that wasn't the first time he went to the theater alone, being there with someone or not wouldn't make a difference.

When he left the car and stepped to his house, he froze right in spot. His pulse seemed to speed up just by the sight. Will was there, waiting for him on his doorway, sitting on the floor.

He tried to say something to him but no words came out of his mouth. Then Will lifted his gaze from the ground and upon noticing Hannibal's presence he stood up and opened his mouth slightly, he was about to mutter something, but Hannibal didn't let him speak. Driven by an unwitting desire, all he managed to do at that moment was to grab Will close and alight his lips on his.


	4. Collision

Will was stunned. His guard had been down and he hadn't expected something like that at all. The action had been impulsive, but he didn't feel the kiss was aggressive. First he felt tense but such contact was actually kind of relaxing and he didn't want to push him away though he wasn't sure what to do at that point. His head was a mess, he felt almost feverish unsure whether that was happening or not.

When Hannibal realized what he had just done he didn't stop, but he acted more delicately. His arms where wrapped around Will's waist, first tightly but he loosened the hug gently, trying not to act as if he had regretted his sudden action. Just when he felt Will's hands tickling his side returning the hug he decided to slide his own hands up his back.

It was when his tongue grazed Will's lips that he stepped away but his hands were still touching him. Weird sensations swirled about in his stomach, that slight awkwardness brought back memories of his first kiss. He and his childhood sweetheart had been in the same situation after the kiss, neither of them knew what to do after such experience, he had shut down completely and the little girl had ran away with her friends to talk about the affair but now both reactions seemed completely inapropriate for two grown men.

On his part, Hannibal would have preferred to stroke his cheek after breaking the kiss, leaning his forehead against Will's, but that would've been to good to be true.

\- "I'm sorry." He said as he freed Will from the hug, trying to cleanse his voice from any emotion. "That was inappropriate."

 _It wasn't bad. I've had worse._ Will was looking at the ground while trying to think of an answer that didn't intensify the heavy aura of the moment.

\- "Don't worry. I shouldn't be here to begin with, it's too late."

Hannibal was in front of him, to escape from there he needed him to move aside, but he didn't.

\- "Something happened?" Even though he wasn't the most predictable person, he was sure he had an explanation for being on his porch waiting for him.

\- "I was around..." That probably was one of the oldest excuses of all time, but it was partially true. "I guess I just wanted to talk to someone."

Hannibal nodded, comprehensive, he leaned over Will to reach the latch.

\- "We can talk, but not outside."

It was the first time Will was inside of Hannibal's house. The interior was spacious, every inch of it seemed to be elegantly decorated without being overloaded. Hannibal offered to take his coat and after taking off his own he hung them on a rack to guide him toward a living room, indicating him to take a seat where he felt more comfortable but at that time there was no such place. Acting casually as if never had happened a moment ago he asked if he wanted to drink but Will shook his head.

\- "You told me you had plans today." He said as he took a seat in front of Will.

\- "Yes, I had... a _date_."

\- "How was it?"

 _How was it?_ Will mumbled in his mind. _If it had been good I wouldn't be here and you know it. You want me to say it._

\- "It wasn't great." His tone was slightly truculent. A part of him felt angry, he couldn't cope with confusion and there were plenty of perplexing events to feel calm. He wasn't precisely mad at Hannibal, but his emotions didn't have any other way out than through his mouth.

\- "Want to tell me why?"

\- "It... It just didn't feel right. There was nothing to say, there was no conexion." It was completely different from how he felt with him. The feverish feeling came back, his cheeks felt warm and Hannibal noticed.

\- "How would you have liked it to be?"

\- "Don't treat me like one of your patients. Maybe coming here to talk was a bad idea."

When he stood up, Hannibal talked again.

\- "I'm sorry for what I did. I don't regret it, but I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

\- "How would you have liked it to be?" He said with a puckish tone, Hannibal smirked.

\- "I don't expect you to feel the same way I feel."

\- "If I didn't, I wouldn't have let you kiss me." He felt his words were rather cold, the answer was the logical conclusion and since he had never propounded the idea in his head, at the moment he didn't know how else to reply. "I'm sorry." He muttered as he rubbed his face with his hands. "I'm just... surprise?"

 _Me too._ That sort of feeling was entirely new, unknown and therefore dangerous. The physical desire was one thing he could understand, but this was beyond that. When he so Will on the doorstep in that pose that only transmitted dreariness he felt the need to protect him, to get him on his feet and help him regardless what had made him feel sorrow. Some people may assume that due to his profession he would be the kind of person willing to aid the helpless, but he was not. Work was work, there was no pleasure in it and much less personal feelings.

\- "I understand."

Will felt his entire body numb, his head was pounded and again he felt hopeless. Running away like he did at the restaurant wasn't an option, that wasn't what he wanted but he had no idea of how to cope with the situation, with what he felt. If he left at that moment it would mean not seeing Hannibal ever again. He wouldn't appear waiting for him at lunch time, who would do something like that after being thrown off like that? If his words had been a confession he should be the one in a vulnerable position and yet, Will felt like the martyr.

The silence was getting too long.

Hannibal broke the silence before Will could open his mouth.

\- "People end up boring me quite quickly, Will." He started to said, his fingers fiddling on the armchair. There was no reason to sugarcoat his words. If he didn't know exactly what he felt he could only describe what he understood. "You don't. It's fair to say that _you_ are the most attractive person I've ever met."

There it was then, the confession, expressed in the only way he could imagine Hannibal saying something like that. Somehow, those words relaxed him and he exhaled in relief before smiling softly.

\- "I find you interesting as well."

A slight smile peep out on Hannibal's face. - "It's too late, maybe you should go to your house... Unless you're too tired to drive all the way home." He wouldn't suggest what Will did when he stayed at his house, not under those circumstances. "The guest room is available."

The offer was accepted.

At first glance the guest room seemed to be larger than his entire home. It had the same poise the rest of the house had. The bed was comfortable, lying on that mattress was like being on a cloud, floating in the emptiness of the immense room. Sleep did not come easy.

During the few moments he got to close his eyes, deranged dreams attacked his mind and he woke up again gasping, feeling flustered. The thought of needing to see Hannibal after waking crossed his mind a couple of times, until that night his presence reassured him, talking with him eased him after a stressful day at work. Now he wasn't sure if being by his side would be helpful or the opposite.

Sitting and talking didn't feel like a solution to him, the mere idea made his heart beat nervously. Even if Hannibal said that nothing had to change between them that sounded impossible. He didn't want to stop seeing him.

What was what he wanted?

He enjoyed his company, admired his intellect and wisdom, connecting with him to him was simple and pleasant but he wasn't a recess from his humdrum life. Will cared about him, he wanted to know more about him and he was happy when Hannibal seemed to open up to him, he made him feel safe to do the same for him and let him see the man behind the curtain.

Hannibal was unique, captivating and intoxicating, he was bold without being reckless, he was soothing and scathing at the same time. Hannibal was fire and ice, a bundle of contradictions and Will was entangled in it by choice.

Romantic love, platonic love, liquid love, connection in place of affection? What kind of relationship linked them together? How did he wanted their relationship to be?

Just as he opened the bedroom door he saw Hannibal in the hallway still in his nightclothes.

\- "Good morning." He greeted him in his particular accent with a smile on his face.

His blue eyes glanced at Hannibal's lips. He wanted to returned the greeting but his words stuck on his throat.

\- "Is everything okay?" Hannibal asked as he approached him, mild concern was showing up on his mien.

\- "Hannibal..." He took his hand and pulled him towards him, closing his eyes as he approached his lips to start kissing him. He opened his mouth slowly, feeling clumsy at first, affected by the strange sensation in his stomach. He looked for his lips and toyed with them with his tongue, it only took a second for Hannibal to respond in the same way. His hands released his to grab him by his clothing, hugging him and drawing him even closer to his body.

Hannibal didn't expect Will to take control so quickly and pull him forward, he didn't fight it and tongue met tongue as he melted against Will's body and relaxed against his touch. Such contact had never felt so good; pressing their tongues together within the confines of their kiss. It was a sensation he couldn't describe. He inhaled deeply and sharply through his nose, trying not to separated his lips from Will's if possible, not even to breath. A pleasant heat began to invade their bodies with every movement of their tongues.

The sensations were overwhelming to Will, who had to pull away a little as he let out a slight gasp. His arms were still on Hannibal and he felt his hand caressing his brown hair, he thought he was going to press his lips against his again. Instead, he felt the warmth of his thin lips brushing his forehead, going down to his flushed cheek and the corner of his mouth to plant a soft his on his jawline.

\- "You don't have work today, do you?"


	5. Amenity

Will barely knew Hannibal's house, so when he took his hand to guide him to an unknown room he wasn't sure what to expect. When they reached destiny, instead of feeling relief, he felt slightly guilty. Since the little altercation of last night he could only think of Hannibal making a move that would take them to a completely different scenario and whether he wanted it or not, Will wasn't sure yet.

Hannibal strode to the kitchen. Once he indicated Will where to sit he turned and started opening up the cabinets and fridge to take out what he would need. We just woke up, of course he is going to make breakfast. The fact that he just kept thinking that something else was going to happen lead him to the idea that it was probably him who was actually hoping for it, despise his initial thoughts.

A hum escaped Hannibal's throat as he started his work. Will asked if he could help him with that, but Hannibal said that there was no need. While he was waiting, he rested his head on his hands, following the other's actions with his blue eyes. He seemed to know very well what he was doing. Even if it wasn't the first time he had cooked for him, Will had never been able to witness the process and it was strangely mesmerizing.

When the smell of breakfast was starting to be perceived in the air, a smile outlined Will's lips

\- "It smells great… Who taught you how to cook?"

\- "I was around thirteen when someone show me actual techniques, I had cooked before that but only basics to survive, you could say."

\- "I thought you were a natural."

\- "That doesn't mean I'm not." Hannibal smirked. "You know, I've always preferred being self-taught actually, perhaps it has to do with being homeschooled, but to have a teacher with whom to talk and discuss ideas and methods is also good."

Will actually knew little about Hannibal's background and when he started to reveal those small details in that topic Will expected him to carry on with it, he wanted to know more about him, to learn how he had gotten to be the person that was standing right infront of him at that moment. However, instead of that Hannibal started a soliloquy about the various cooking techniques around the world and Will didn't want to interrupt since he had actually asked about how he had learn how to cook and not specifically about his past. That topic was interesting to learn but it wasn't what he wanted to hear at that moment, it was disappointing and it probably showed up on his face because when Hannibal turned to see him he stopped.

* * *

Breakfast was spent mostly in silence. Only trivial issues were discussed but they ended quickly. The most awkward silence was when Hannibal asked Will if he had changed his mind about staying with him for the day.

\- "Is not that..." He finally said after some seconds of quietness that felt like hours. "I guess I may look a little downhearted because I didn't sleep well."

\- "Is that all? Was there something wrong with the bed?"

Will shook his head. There's something wrong with me, most likely. And Hannibal could clearly see there was a problematic idea prowling through his mind. They had spent much more time together and apparently both wanted to keep going... However, at that moment Will felt he was far away from Hannibal, far away from that room.

\- "I want to be... I want to feel closer to you."

Hannibal blinked and finished his breakfast trying to minimize any hint of thrill that could appear on his face. His impulses couldn't be show again. Getting close to Will wasn't very different from trying to approach a wild animal. He needed to be gentle and patient otherwise he'd get scared and would run away from him. It was better to let Will come closer at his own pace. There was the desire of spending the day peacefully and the urge to draw him near at the risk of ruining the calm between them.

\- "In which way?" He made a pause. "Spiritually, physically, romantically?"

It didn't take long for him to reply.

\- "In every way." There was no reason to keep denying anything. They weren't kids, he could manage it.

This time Hannibal was sure that his emotion was manifested in the gleam of his brown eyes.

\- "I feel exactly the same."

* * *

Even full of doubts, Will went to sit besides Hannibal on his bed.

\- "At times I think we may be crazy for getting into this."

\- "If I want this it's only your fault." Hannibal stated, half-jokingly.

Will's heart beat increased when Hannibal kissed him, promptly capturing his lips fully. But when when he'd gotten a good feel of the kiss, Hannibal pulled away and smirked at Will in a cunning way, it almost looked like he wanted to eat him alive right there. His already flushed cheeks burned so fiercely, his face felt like it was on fire.

\- "I thought at this point you'd be able to maintain eye contact with me for a little longer."

\- "Not if you look at me like that."

He rested his head on Hannibal's shoulder with his lips pursed, his emotiones were conflicted.

He then felt a hand on his leg, reassuringly starting to stroke him.

\- "You don't have to do anything you don't want to, Will." Hannibal said softly, his hand moved to take Will's in an attempt to bring some comfort to him.

\- "I do... I just..." He could only stutter, completely flustered his ideas didn't come together. The new sensations Hannibal brought him clouded his mind and he felt lost and hopeless.

\- "Do you feel restricted?" He licked his lips after the question.

Will nodded slightly.

\- "Something like that..." He trailed off. There was something inside him that wasn't letting him carry on with what they had started. He wanted him. His chest felt tight and he couldn't understand what was stopping him.

\- "I think I can help you with that."

\- "How?"

He grabbed him by the wrists, putting his hands over his head. Will bit his lower lip and his eyebrows raised in surprise.

\- "Like this. But, of course, this isn't for everyone."

\- "It's kind of a rough start, don't you think?"

\- "It doesn't have to be that way, I can be gentle."

He had to avert his gaze.

\- "How is this supposed to make me feel less restricted?" Will asked, smirking awkwardly. Feeling inwardly tied was enough, he didn't think that being actually tied up would help.

\- "You are free now, in a way." His partner looked at him incredulously, but his answer didn't end there. "This feels too weird to you, the new sensations are confusing you and therefore you're not allowing yourself to enjoy it. Now you can, you don't have to do anything. By tying you up I'm setting you free." There it was again, the bundle of contradictions. This time Will could perfectly understand where he was going with his words. "There's nothing you can do, there are no choices to make, don't torture yourself thinking and take pleasure on your restraint. Lean and I'll take care of you."

Trying to control his breathing, Will did what he'd been told and he lay on the mattress while Hannibal took his tie from his bedside table.

\- "I just have one question before we start." He made a pause, Will glanced at him with curiosity. "Do you trust me?"

Such a simple question and yet it took Will with his guard down, freezing him instantly. Yes. Too abashed to talk he gave a small nod, his partner smiled and leaned in to pressed a small kiss to Will's forehead.

Before tying his hands over his head, Hannibal helped Will to take off his shirt gently. The knot around his wrists didn't allow him to move but it didn't feel too tight, the fabric was soft and silky.


	6. Bond

In his bashfulness Will shut his eyes down, Hannibal stroked his blushed cheek as if he're trying to calm him. Those little acts of gentleness only made him feel more flustered. When he opened his eyes again he saw Hannibal about to cover his eyes with the shirt he'd just taken off him. He had agreed on the binding, but he said nothing about being blindfolded, not that he actually had a problem with it at that point.

\- "I hope you don't mind." Hannibal whispered in his ear as he finished tying the bandage behind his head. "I think this would make things even more exciting but if you want me to stop, all you have to say is 'Mercy', understood?"

\- "'Mercy'? is that the safeword?" Presumptuous. Perfect for you.

\- "Exactly. You don't have any problem with that, right?" He asked as he pinched his skin.

\- "You don't want me to see what you're about to do." His hands trembled slightly against the tether, nervously.

\- "Because in this case the unpredictable is also liberating." Another paradox. He couldn't see but he could imagine Hannibal grinning at him. "You can't see, you can't move, there's nothing but pleasure to process. And it's in you to decide how much of it you want."

Immediately after that he felt the stroke of Hannibal's nose on the crook of his neck, then he felt his teeth on his skin. His large hands took him by the waist, grabbing him a little closer to start nibbling his neck. The heat of his palms moving up and down his sides relaxed him against the nibbles that were slowly turning into actual bites.

He felt as if he was holding his breath to not let any sound escape his mouth. When Hannibal draw back he felt relief for an instant before he started attacking again. Arms wound around him and a trail of kisses was placed all over his chest. Against all odds, it wasn't humiliating but something completely different, a sensation he couldn't describe at that moment.

This time Hannibal took on of the pink nubs of his chest with his mouth, alternating between sucking and biting while pinching the other. Slight shocks of pain brought pleasure to Will, finally letting a soft whimper escape his lips.

Happy with the result of his actions Hannibal climbed on top of the restrained man and started to unbutton his own shirt . Once his chest was naked he positioned his hips right above Will's to press himself roughly against his lover, rolling his hips teasingly. Leaning against him he caught his lips, kissing Will and biting his lower lip, mixing both delight and pain together for him.

After a rough bite, Will's body shivered against the mattress. Being blindfolded really made every nerve be in state of alert, every fiber of his body was too sensitive and he happily lost it at the end.

\- "H-Hannibal... Could you s-stop teasing me like this..." He was genuinely happy though. His breathing was growing faster. At that point, he could not at any given moment reclaim control over the game and it hardly mattered, he was sinking into pleasure and he wanted to be dragged even deeper.

\- "Not in a thousand years." He whispered in his ear.

At that, Will's lips curled into a faint smile. Delightfully whimsical and so, so frustrating for him.

Hannibal sharply bit at Will's neck, this time before placing a loving kiss in the same spot afterwards. He continued pecking down his jawline, kissing, licking and biting. It left Will panting and wanting more but that wasn't enough for him. He wanted to make Will's first time with him much more pleasurable than not. However, he also craved to torture his lover. He wanted to torment him the same way he had done with him in his dreams, leave him wanting for more like Will did when he met him innocently. Now he was at his mercy and all he wanted was to tease him, trick him, provoke him, to make him beg.

His fingertips tickled down his chest and abdomen before settling at the front of his briefs. Hannibal could see the way the pre-cum seeped through the fabric. At the view of Will like that one his hands positioned itself between his own legs, to get rid of his clothes before stroking himself hastily. His goal with Will wasn't the obvious bulge within the fabric but it was the soft flesh of his inner thighs he was after. He was massaging him, around never touching the one spot where all his thoughts were focused. It was simply tortuous for Will, there was no other word for it. The intermingled feelings, so hot and so humid. How far would Hannibal go? Not being able to see made everything worse, or made it better? He was utterly helpless. A poor hopeless deer that has been caught by the predator.

Will felt his lover's hands against his thighs stroking him softly, affectionately. But he wasn't a fool, he knew such kindliness wasn't going to last. All of a sudden his nails sank on his skin, raking him tortuously. He felt that his skin was being torn by claws and Hannibal's name escaped his mouth accompanied by a loud groan as his back arched desirously.

\- "P-please... Just..." His voiced trailed off, his breathing was heavy.

When he was about to bite his neck again, Hannibal stopped and cupped Will's red cheek with one hand.

\- "Pardon?" One of his hands gently caressed Will's chest. "What'd you say, darling?" His hand moved to the front of Will's underwear, sliding it down and gaining a moan from him once his erect member was freed from that last piece of clothing. Hannibal felt his heart skip a beat when could finally see Will completely naked. Now him was the one aching with need.

Will tossed his head back, breathing heavily as he raised his hips up Hannibal's. Do not make me beg, if I ask for a little more is only a little more.

\- "Just do it." Should he be ashamed of taking pleasure in such dirty deeds? He would have time to regret his decisions later.

\- "Just do it? I didn't know you were such a romantic, Will." He was panting as well but he tried to muffle those sounds while pulling down his own shorts. "Luckily for you, I'm feeling generous today."

\- "Really? It sounds like you're doing yourself a favor." Those bold words were punished with another hard bite on the neck. Until that day he had never thought that pain could be followed by wave after wave of sheer pleasure.

Hannibal's heart was pounding, he was mesmerized by the soft and alluring voice of his lover. His is arousal growing thanks to those sweet whimpers that escaped from his lips. He continued stroking and squeezing Will's buttocks before one of his fingers began working at his entrance.

"I really want you..." Will's voice sound like a whisper and a weak smile crossed his lips after that confession. There was no way to turn back, no mercy, it was something he had already decided and there was no reason to refuse. He felt more free than he has ever felt in his life, it was questionless that at this point he had lost all use of reason because his mind was not making any sense.

He could have drawn the torture much longer but his body pleaded with him to put an end to it already. He drew away momentarily to grabbed lube from his nightstand. He flipped open the cap and smeared the substance over every inch of his member. It was time, he couldn't wait anymore. He poised himself over his bound lover, lining his erection up with the other's rear. A gentle press forward had the head kissing Will's most-likely virgin bottom.

Will gasped softly, a tingling feeling went through his body as he felt the menace of his lover's erection that imminently was going to fill him up in a way he had never been before. He bit his lip in an attempt to stifle a cry that threatened to escape his mouth. It felt incredibly good to finally be skin to skin, yet his whole body felt so uneasy.

The way the other brought their hips together was gentle at first. Placing both hands at Will's sides, he pressed forward with all the delicacy he could manage to make their first time together pleasurable for both.

He felt so painfully tight as he sunk into him, stretching him apart slowly but surely. Now, his breaths came in labored puffs. His hands shifted and he gripped Will's hips roughly, sinking in fully. Their bodies seemed to shiver in sheer bliss once Hannibal was fully embedded within his lover. Feeling the intimacy between them, the insurmountable closeness of their bodies, their breathing and the heat. As a divine gift, it was as if they were the only two in the world and nothing could ruin a moment like that.

Will moans started to get louder and his heart was pounding madly . He felt he could pass out at anytime. Restless hands were wishing to be able of doing something, to touch Hannibal and surround him with his arms, but the tie around his wrists reminded him that he was deprived of taking such liberties

Slowly, Will was starting to move following the rhythm of his lover's movements, he was already buried so far inside him and he could feel him brushing up against that sweet spot that had never been stimulated that way. He needed, he wanted more.

His voice, his scent, the view... All was intoxicating Hannibal and his thrusts were only becoming harder and faster. Quiet, pleasured groans continually escaped his lips with each thrust and with each push of his hips. But there was more he wanted to do for him, he started to pump Will's member, uncared-for so far.

Both stimulations were too much for him to handle, and his erection leaked more and more pre rapidly at the tip, hinting at the release that was sure to come soon... A near-scream of pleasure ripped it's way from Will's throat, saying Hannibal's name.

One strong strike to his weak spot, one stroke done just right to his member had him loosing his seed all over his chest in one or two short, strong bursts before it simply dribbled down the side

At Will's climax Hannibal felt him tightening around his member. The sensation overwhelmed him and flooded his body intensely; his fingernails sank into Will's flesh as Hannibal's thoroughly embedded member gave a few violent twitches before spilling the entirety of his cum inside of Will. His mouth quickly caught the other's lips in a rough kiss that turned into a bite.

Will's breathing was slowly returned to normal and Hannibal's movements became softer as his own climax finally came to an end, with the blissful afterglow sinking in for both. The rough bites were scarce now, being replaced by gentle touches, kisses were placed upon Wills cheeks and nose. It was completely blissful.

With quick and easy movement Hannibal removed himself from his lover before untying the blindfold, he needed to see him and Will wanted to see Hannibal's face as well.

Blue eyes opened slowly, blinking a few times. He felt slightly sensitive to the light just like when one was awakening in the morning. He then felt a tingling in his stomach when he saw Hannibal's face again, smiling softly at him. This time Will didn't avert his gaze, how could he do that after such fulfillment. A weak placid smile lit up his face.

At the moment when Hannibal saw Will's sleepy happy face he felt he could just devour him right there with kisses and love bites. Giving him a little peck on the lips he took his tie off his hands. His leal lover returned the kiss, landing his lips on Hannibal's for a brief moment. But he had to turned away, rubbing his wrists, which bothered him a bit even without the bonds though he did not give too much importance to that.

Will's body relaxed as Hannibal delicately took his hands to place a kiss where the bonds had been. Hannibal settled down then, positioning himself beside his beloved and capturing his soft lips once more before nuzzling his neck gently.

A faint smile stretched on Will's lips when he felt he was being snuggled, he tried to hug Hannibal closer to him and stayed silent. There was nothing to be said. His eyes shut slowly. At that moment he could only think about staying there with him for hours.


	7. Adaptation

Changes are not easy to digest, especially when it comes to relationships. Transitioning from friendship to romance is not that uncommon but in most cases it feels odd for both parts at the beginning.

At first, in an attempt to cover their insecurities by pretending simplicity, they agreed that there was no need to twitch anything. Internally they new that wasn't true.

I love you for who you are, people say and others may get angry if they feel their partner is 'trying to change them'.

People shouldn't force you to change your essence but sometimes you have to be mature enough to see that changing to make things work between you and someone you love is worthy and it doesn't have to be a extreme make over.

There are walls people built to protect themselves since they are young. Some seem to be impenetrable fortresses but there's always a way to go through them whether is from the outside or inside out. If there's a barrier between two people they can't see each other. You may talk, sound can cross walls, but that's not enough. You can't really appreciate someone if you can't even see who they are.

Since they met they found a way to remove some bricks, sometimes it looked like there was nothing else between but giving in wasn't so easy.

For Hannibal it was hard to open up about his life and his true self. Just like his house, he looked intense, interesting and scenical but that facade was so adorned and superb that no one could see what it was made of. If you paid close attention to it you'd see that it actually felt quite empty. To the common eye there probably wasn't anything to say about it so why would they ask? But the young professor could feel there were things he was keeping locked behind several doors. Everytime the conversation was starting to change its direction to go and rummage into things of the past Hannibal managed to evade the topic or turning their talk into something completely different. It was subtle at first but his partner noticed it and he was worried about him. He felt that if there was something so serious to keep it locked like that he should know, but in due time.

In Will's case there wasn't much he could hide about himself, Hannibal could see through those brittle barriers. Even though at first it seemed like Will had much to hide it was just fear of getting close to someone, he was unaccustomed to that one could say. If he didn't say a word about himself it was because no one had ever taken the time to ask. Just like he was not used to talking about personal matters, physical contact startled him most of the time. Most people he had known only looked for that, to them that was the point of a relationship. Will wasn't the kind of person to give in to the mundane. The problem was that even soft touches could make him flinch sometimes. Hannibal knew that his lover initiating any sort of affectionate contact was something really unlikely to happen. Attentions in the form of gifts also seemed to rub him on the wrong way, he barely accepted anything Hannibal bought for him. If he wanted to approach Will he had to be careful; the last thing he wanted was for his lover to feel uncomfortable around him and under his touch

Both acknowledged their weaknesses and wanted to turn them into something different, not only for the other but for themselves, but it was a complex issue that would take time.

The work days weren't very different than before. They went to work, they had lunch together and hung out, maybe now a little more than before and the atmosphere between them was obviously quite different and so were the activities they did together. Some days Will would go to Hannibal's house and he would cook dinner for them but then he'd go back to his house.

And for the weekends they agreed, after a month and a half, to spend that time together. One week they'd stay at Hannibal's house and the other at Will's; two days was the maximum time he would stay away from his dogs. Hannibal had suggested that he could bring his family of strays to his place, he had a back yard where they would run and do whatever dogs did, but Will told him that such thing could be bad for them. Animals get stressed out going to one place to another if they weren't used to travelling. Besides, being inside a moving car was a living nightmare for some dogs.

Slowly, Hannibal was trying to drag Will into to his world in other ways. He wanted their lifes to merge. Will had been the first one to say that he wanted to be closer to Hannibal, but he still showed insecurities. The way he wanted things to happen weren't the same his partner pretended to carry out. Theater, opera, any kind of art show was an event Hannibal didn't want to miss and of course he needed Will by his side. Both enjoyed the arts but the smug atmosphere that prevailed in those events was something that made Will sick. He already had a hard time with any sort of social occurrence but in these special occasions he felt completely out of place. Even though Hannibal didn't actually had friends in that scope, he enjoyed talking to them from time to time or even invite them to his house for a large dinner party. Will only agreed to participate on that one time, just to make his partner happy and to see how it was. Awkward flashbacks of his adolescence haunted his mind all night. He wasn't the only one who noticed he didn't belong there, everybody seemed to be judging him with their eyes, wondering why he was there.

\- "Are you embarrassed of our relationship that you don't want me to introduce you as my boyfriend?" Hannibal asked when trying to convince Will to have dinner with him and other people.

\- "I just don't want your status to descend in front of them when they notice you're dating a plebeian."

He could pretend to belong to that circle, he didn't lack acting skills. He just wasn't interested of wasting energy in something vanal like that, not even for Hannibal's amusement.

On the other side, the few people with whom Will had any sort of relationship were soon incorporated into Hannibal's guests. One day Alana saw him waiting for Will outside work and they simply started to talk. By the time Will went out of work it seemed that she already knew their relationship. That smile on her face said nothing more than I see why our date didn't work. At first Will felt his privacy had been invaded, but having her for dinner without thinking of her as a potential romance was actually very pleasant. Plus, it was nice to have a friend with whom he could talk about his love life without being judged.

* * *

\- "Why won't you move out with me?"

Silence. It wasn't the first time Hannibal suggested that but saying 'no' wasn't getting easier for Will.

\- "You know why." Will replied without taking his eyes off the material for his next class which he was checking.

\- "We can look for another house if you don't feel comfortable moving into my house. Maybe we can find something a little more... green."

\- "Why the rush?"

\- "It's not rush... Only hunger for adventure." He had never lived with a partner before, Will haven't done that either but Hannibal was sure that they would enjoy their mutual company. More time together wouldn't become a burden, the time they're sharing didn't feel like enough. Everyday it felt less...

\- "If you're feeling adventurous why don't you come fishing with me? Even better, we should go noodling."

\- "Noodling?" He asked curiously.

\- "Is a form of fishing. It is to capture a catfish using only bare hands."

\- "With my bare hands? That sounds too intimate. I'm not sure if we're ready to take that step. In the future, maybe."

In the future. A week after that conversation fate seemed to act in favor of Hannibal's wishes, though not in the most pleasant way.


	8. Alterations

At night, Will received an e-mail from Alana. She said she had received it from another co-worker and even though she knew it was something appalling, she thought it was best for Will to know about it from a friend. She linked him to a website, at first it didn't look particularly baffling, it was simply one of their student's blog. Freddie Lounds was her name if Will remembered correctly. He frankly had no idea what she was at his class, no one looked as desinterested as her at the classroom, she simply didn't belong there.

Scrolling down he finally found what Alana wanted him to see. There was a picture of him, several pictures actually, and he wasn't alone in them, he was with Hannibal. At the sight of that he felt his chest constrained. Why would someone want to violate his privacy like that and make his personal life as some sort of entertainment? What would they gain with this... Why did he feel ashamed of seeing himself in the arms of his partner, kissing him?

He bit the inside of his cheek and kept scrolling down, looking for an explanation. The text accompanying the photos didn't help to make him feel better. His dear student had make up a ridiculous and striking story about his love life.

On her blog, Lounds claimed to have discovered the secrets of the mysterious professor Graham, a man of stern appearance who actually seemed to enjoy life quite a bit after school was over. First she talked about that elegant man who had been seen several times standing outside the institution. There she described Hannibal as some sort of sugar daddy that was providing Will of those fancy suits he was wearing lately, those Italian shoes; no doubt why such a sober man started looking slightly chipper lately, she wrote.

Will didn't want to keep reading the stupid fanciful story of a young woman who had nothing better to do but invent lies. He shut off his laptop and let out a frustrated sigh that caught Hannibal's attention. When he asked what was going on Will was reluctant to talk about it, he felt his blood was boiling and he wanted to pretend that he saw nothing, but he ended up telling Hannibal about the entry about them on the blog.

There wasn't anything to fuss about, Hannibal thought, he even felt slightly flattered by the attention received. He knew, however, that Will couldn't bear to be noticed like that. Probably a lot of his students knew about that blog if not all of them, even his co-workers were aware of those rumors and the idea of being the center off attention made him sick. People talking about him behind his back, spreading senseless rumours, perhaps some of them would even get to ask him directly about the topic. After all, that story made him seem as someone who probably didn't have many filters.

Just go and do your job as always, Will said to himself the next day, let them think whatever the fuck they want, you know who you are.

That sensation he had when walking down the halls was making feel dizzy. Was it real or a product of his affected imagination? He felt the eyes of people nailed at him. He heard whispers, giggles, words of disgust.

Shut up.

When he entered the classroom and sit at his desk, he noticed a piece of paper on the floor next to him and picked it up. Faggot, was written in large letters over a copy of the infamous photographs that could be found on Lounds' Blog.

That day Freddie Lounds didn't show up, but it probably was better that way, he wasn't sure how he would have confronted her.

\- "You do know they can't fire you because of something like that, right?"

Bosses usually fail to look as someone likable at the eyes of workers. Will's superior stood up thanks to his ignorance and arrogance, everybody knew he was a bastard but that day he sadly discovered he reached the point of being homophobic. After finding out about Will's personal life he had to talk to him immediately and spit on his face a bunch of crap he wasn't in the mood to put up with.

\- "I know."

How could that institution have an aberration disguised as a person who sold his body at the highest bidder as a professor. What could he teach to someone besides how to be a revolting representation of what was wrong with the world.

\- "Sue them, there's no way you can lose the case."

\- "I don't have the money for a lawyer."

\- "I can give you the money."

\- "I don't need your money, Hannibal." His words started severely, but he trailed off. "They didn't fire me, I quitted. I can't be working in a place like this. Who needs to be surrounded by these people, anyway?"

He was trying to dismiss the subject, insisting that they should go and grab some food. The annoyance and frustrating on his mien were hard to ignore.

How could Hannibal help with in that sort of situation? Money wasn't a problem for him, but it wasn't something his partner could misspend with seven kids at home. He could be stubborn as a mule if his pride was getting in the way. By the things he had hinted about his childhood, most of the time he had had to fend for himself and work hard at an early age. He wasn't going to ask for help... He wasn't going to let Hannibal hand him the money just like that, he wasn't going to accept his help even if he said he didn't care. Anything would feel like charity at that moment.

Now he remembered what he had told him; following in the footsteps of his father Will had worked in a shipyard until his old man pushed him to pursue an actual career. Once or twice Will had also mentioned that after that he had still fixed boat motors as a gig a couple of times. How critic could Will's financial status be was something Hannibal wasn't sure about. The man wasn't ostentatious, he was simple so if he didn't boasted of wealth it could be because he simply didn't care about appearances.

After having brunch, Hannibal suggested they went to the movies or do some activity that would help Will not to think of his job but it seemed that he didn't feel like doing anything at all.

A little after lunch time Hannibal had work to do and though he said he could cancel those sessions Will insisted that he didn't do that. He wasn't a little boy and he shouldn't require the constant presence of someone to help him to get distracted.

It had been quite some time since he went jogging or exercising in general, so he thought that day would be good for jogging. Some exercice helped him a little bit, for a moment he felt vitalized and being at the park breathing fresh air was relaxing. It was nice to see people walking their pets, playing with their dogs, some groups friends and families having a picnic. Maybe we should have a picnic one of these days. I wonder if bringing all the dogs would be a problem... Sadly, once he left the park the dejection took over him slowly.

After his working hours finally came to an end, Hannibal convince Will to go to a cafe. The atmosphere wasn't the kind that he enjoyed but he heard there was a stand-up comedy show and he thought that maybe a little humor would help. But at the end it look like it didn't look at all.

Dinner time came and Will said he had no appetite, all he wanted was to go home and maybe have a drink. When it seemed that Will was starting to drink a little too much Hannibal tried to stop him.

\- "Talk to me instead of doing that."

He felt he had vented enough about everything he had to hear from his boss - or rather former boss - before he had managed the courage to tell him to go fuck himself and leave the building.

\- "I don't like it when you play the psychiatrist with me."

\- "You know that's not what I'm doing."

His blue eyes fixed at the glass he was holding for a moment, he then sighed and put it aside.

\- "I don't really care about the job. I can find a new one. I just..." He bit his lower lip. "Those stupid things they said... The things they did... That is what bothers me." It was like they were trying to make him think that he was a disgusting person, make him feel ashamed of what he was doing; and at a certain point, they succeeded. "I don't want people to try and mess with what I feel."

If you know who you are it doesn't matter what others think. That saying had probably been started by someone who didn't actually go through something like that. It's not as easy as they made it sound. Wouldn't it be better to divulge expressions of broad-mindedness instead?

\- "I know it's beyond all bearing..." The doctor said as he took Will's hand. "A lot of people will try to make you feel that what you do, what you feel or what you think is a horrid mistake but it also works the other way around. Don't let the negative side into, at least listen to both parts. To me you're perfect, Will."

Will withdraw his hand, but his partner saw the hint of a smile on his face.

\- "I told you know to play the psychiatrist with me." He replied mockingly, but happy. "And if you're going to do it at least keep it professional, Doctor Lecter. I feel flattered but I don't think this is appropriate."

\- "Let this be our secret." He replied with a wink.

Feeling slightly flustered Will snorted and looked away, his expression changed. He didn't look as somber as before, he didn't look particularly content either.

\- "Hannibal... Can you stay with me tonight?" His lover wrapped an arm around his shoulders and dragged him close to him to gave him a soft kiss on the forehead.

\- "Of course." He never asked that in such a forlorn way, it was clear that tonight he needed comfort. Regardless the nature of the consolation he needed, Hannibal was willing to give in.

When Will wrapped his arms around him and fall asleep against his chest, Hannibal laughed at himself and stroked his brown curls gently. Just a little love could sometimes help to overcome any ill.


	9. Endearment

Light filtering through the window, rather weakly at that hour, announced the dawn and with it the time to wake up. For someone who was an early riser as Will at least, for most people though, even if there was sunlight it was still too early.

The dogs had the same rhythm as his master and soon they were all up as well. Awake but still sluggish, Will didn't get until some of the boys were waving their tails impatiently at the door, eager for a morning walk. Once everyone left, Will went back to bed.

\- "Are you still asleep?" He asked in a low voice as he gave Hannibal a small peck on his cheek and pressed his body against his. "Wake up."

It was so early in the morning. The gentle kiss on his cheek and the quiet tone of his lover's voice drew him from his dreams slowly. That was a very nice way to wake up.

\- "Good morning..." His voice was making him sound like he talking in his dreams. "Did you dream about me, Will?"

\- "Why would I?" He joked with a bright smile and gave him a kiss on the lips.

Hannibal cupped his cheek, sliding his hand and lacing his curls between his fingers to hold him close a little more but Will didn't have the intention of drawing away in any case.

\- "Is this your idea of a 'good morning'?" That wasn't a complaint, it definetely wasn't a bad morning at all.

Will slid his hand through Hannibal's torso, pulling his shirt up to place a kiss on his chest. He wasn't going to reply with words but with his actions. He then began attacking his neck with light kisses that soon turned into gentle nibbles, with his hands he stroked his chest. Responding with more caresses, Hannibal tried to position himself on top but Will stopped him.

\- "No. Let me."

Slightly confused at first, Hannibal looked at Will incredulously as he pushed him on his back and sat on top of him. As if such actions weren't enough by themselves, the fact that Will was taking the initiative of it was making it even more arousing for Hannibal.

His large hands were at Will's sides, stroking him up and down before taking of his shirt. At the same time it seemed like Will's hands were roaming all over him and pinching his skin. He closed his eyes and bit onto his lower lip briefly when Will grind his hips against his.

\- "Look at me." Deep blue eyes met brown ones as he took him by the face, stroking his cheek with a thumb as he began to kiss him again. It was a bit confusing, Will wasn't sure why his usual shyness seemed to be gone or what pushed him to that situation but he really wanted Hannibal. His heart raced as his tongue touched Hannibal's and played with it. For a few seconds he paused and gently nibble his lower lip before continuing the kiss. His hand went down again to caress his chest.

They were painfully close they felt the warmth of each other's breath against their skin. Hannibal was aware that his hardening member was starting to press up against Will. His hands were trailing down the other's back gently, stopping teasingly at his lower back before grabbing his bottom.

Feeling his lover's need against his lower body filled him with a very special feeling of joy. Just knowing that he was able to make him felt that way already felt so good; he would be in the same condition as him really soon.

He stopped the kiss with a sonorous smooch on the lips and then proceeded to lick his neck and collarbone, alternating the licking with sucking and bites, not as gentle as before. He was tempted to massage Hannibal's crotch but instead sat himself better on top of him so that he could grind their members together.

Hannibal didn't hesitate a second to grind himself up against Will. His neck would be bruised, a hickey would certainly leave a mark, but in the moment that only served to turn him on more. He wanted his lover to mark him as belonging to him. He wanted to be Will's as much as he wanted Will to belong to him and him alone.

Their members press together and silent gasps and quiet, needy moans filled the room. Hannibal sank his nails into Will's soft flesh, gaining a louder moan from him. His lover's whimpers were driving him insane with need for more. His kept stroking and squeezing his buttocks before he started to take off his remaining clothes. He wanted to feel him skin to skin.

In response Will moved for a moment to help him to get rid of the annoying clothing. The condensate heat of the room was making him feel that it was getting harder to breath.

Once more he rocked his hips against Hannibal's and he leaning to give him a chaste peck on the lips before whispering into his ear.

\- "You're mine and I'm yours." His lover replied biting his neck harshly. Without a hint of shame Will screamed his lover's name. He loved it, loved it so much that he was all his. Nobody else could claim him as theirs but Hannibal.

Quiet moans and gasps slipped past Will's lips as he rocked his hips, a bit more forcefully now. With each rock of his hips, their members met and ground together with sinful pleasure. Hannibal was helping him, taking him by his waist and moving him, closer but he couldn't wait anymore.

One of his fingers went inside him, massaging him as Will stubbornly was biting his lips not to give his lover the pleasure of hearing him moaning just yet. Another finger went in and Will couldn't contain his voice. Getting roguish he pushed his fingers a little deeper curling them, yearning to hear more of that sweet falsetto. He kept rubbing and pushing his finger deep inside Will until he claimed to be ready for him.

Without wasting a single second Hannibal leaned back just slightly to be more a bit comfortable under Will and positioned the head of his hard member at his lover's bottom.

Will hovered right above Hannibal's member, letting his hands trail over the other's bare chest before taking hold of his hands. He intertwined their fingers and plugged onto his member in one swift movement that made him cry out much louder than before - both from the pleasure of being filled and the agony of being stretched apart without more lubrication than Hannibal's pre-cum.

The intimacy and closeness of the act made both of them feel complete.

Once his erection was inside Will it was utterly impossible to contain those moans of pleasure he had been trying to hide until now. He was having the hardest time trying to ignore the need of rocking his hips against his lover, he didn't want to be to hard and hurt him, not now. Will's name came out of his lips in a breathless whisper. He loved him so much. The most possessive desires took over him everytime they were together that way. He didn't want anyone else to see Will like that, sweating and moaning in sheer pleasure. He didn't want anyone else to have him that way, because Will was his and Hannibal was Will's.

He hold his hands tighter as he mildly began thrusting his pelvis instinctively.

Hannibal was already buried so far inside of him, Will could feel him brushing up against his prostate with every little movement. In the moments where they allowed for their love to be shown in this way, he felt there was nothing else to think about, nothing else mattered but each other and that made him infinitely happy.

With each small thrust Hannibal made, Will brought himself up and slammed himself down on his lover's shaft, letting out a loud moan every time. The blushed expression he wore was one of complete bliss.

The electricity Hannibal felt was running through all his being wasn't only due to the so painfully tight it felt to be inside Will, but was also caused by his cries and the look on his face, that view was maddening him even more.

In that moment of pure arousal, and with the the advantage of having his erection just before him he let go one of his hands and he started to pump him. Rubbing the tip of his member with his thumb and stroking up and down its entire length over and over again.

Another scream of pleasure ripped it's way from Will's throat. His weakest spot was being hit and now, so was his hard member. Both stimulations were too much for him. His erection leaked more and more rapidly at the tip, hinting that his release that was sure to come soon.

When Hannibal felt the oncoming climax approaching his thrust became a faster and as rough as his position allowed him. Will slammed himself over the edge with a blissful cry of Hannibal's name. One strong strike to his sweet spot and one stroke to his erection has him loosing his seed all over his chest in one or two short, strong bursts before it simply dribbles down the sides. Every muscle in his body quivered as he panted, bouncing still on his lap.

Hearing his lover calling his name in that way and the abrupt clenching around his shaft threw Hannibal over the edge, moaning Will's name in return as he harshly took him by the waist to push him against him even closer, filling him with his cum.

They both looked like a mess but Hannibal couldn't help feeling that he was the happiest person in the world. Panting, Will stayed still for a moment, his body still shivering with pleasure and exhaustion. Hannibal moved a little and gently wrapped his arms around Will in a loving hug. Making love always seemed to drain their energy, but it was totally worth it.

Carefully Hannibal slid his softening member out of his lover. He couldn't find his voice to speak so instead, he stroked his back and left a trail of soft kisses all over his neck, just where he had left those red marks a moment ago.

Stretching one arm, Will took his shirt to clean his cum off Hannibal's chest but he stopped him, taking him by the wrist.

\- "Best take a bath instead."

\- "In a moment." Will replied and buried his face on the crook of Hannibal's neck, pressing himself against his chest without caring about the mess. In that moment, there wasn't a single thing that could go wrong. "... I love you..." He whispered and nuzzled his neck, mild embarrassment appearing again.

\- "I love you too." His maroon eyes slip shut and he hold his lover closer. "Let's move in together."


	10. Arrangement

Had he said yes because he actually wanted that? It seemed unfair now. Asking something like that right after making love is like asking a question someone who was half-asleep or slightly drunk, he couldn't think straight at such moment. It wasn't until a couple of hours had passed that Will started to actually think about the issue.

They didn't have to move to Hannibal's house. He said they could buy a new house, in Wolf Trap if so he wanted. A quiet place, maybe not as far away from the city as his current residence but he wouldn't mind that.

\- "What do you think, Buster?" He asked as he patted the dog's head.

The dogs seemed to be pretty comfortable around Hannibal. Every time he came to visit them they started waving their tails excitedly as they did when they saw Will after a long day. They considered him part of the pack now, he was part of the family. On the other hand, he wasn't sure how Hannibal would feel living with them. Animals didn't bother his partner but would he let them stay inside the house? Letting them go in and out whenever they wanted, they would be playing around living room, fluttering around him in the kitchen waiting for something to drop on the floor, sleeping on their bed with them from time to time...

They weren't puppies anymore so they weren't going to scratch the furniture or chew on his ridiculously expensive shoes. The only problem would be dog hair all over the place. Even if they had a big back yard where they could play and run all day Will didn't like the idea of leaving them outside all day. That was almost the same as marginalizing them. Hannibal would insist on getting them out when they had people coming over and he wouldn't discuss, that was understandable.

But what was he supposed to do when their house was invaded by snobs? Hide? He could deal with them but not every single time Hannibal wanted to arrange an uppity party.

Every question he asked to himself only made more doubts pop out in his mind. Little things maybe, but everything was summing up, becoming larger and larger.

He took the phone, he needed to talk to someone besides his dogs about the whole matter.

Spacious; at first glance looked like a nice place but some details of the architecture disgruntled him. It felt weak, neither homely nor imposing. It was hard to pick one place that met the necessary points. None of the houses he had visited that day felt like them.

He was following the real estate agent without listening to his threadbare speech. If he actually managed to find the correct place it could have been the scene of a murder for all he cared, he didn't need to hear details or the anecdotes of previous owners.

Of elegant but natural appearance. Countrified but not unsophisticated. Located in a quiet, rural place but not a farm house. Art Nouveau was off the table. Did something like that even exist? Not in Wolf Trap. Not around.

A nice facade, richly decorated with stone, wood, ceramics, plaster, he could also picture small tiles. Stained glass windows, elaborate gates, crafted woodwork like style furniture... Was he going off at a tangent? A Provençal chalé was on his mind now.

He could work on the interior design if there were details that couldn't satisfy his intricate taste. Maybe Will would enjoy the handiwork if it was necessary or at least he wouldn't oppose to that if he could picture himself living there. But the base was of course as its name indicated, essential, and so he needed find the right one for it.

\- "Thank you, that would be all. I'll consider this place." He cut short the man's words, he was tired of him. The sound of his voice was tedious.

\- "Of course." The other replied, slightly relieved not to have to continue speaking.

Things were getting unexpectedly complicated. When he proposed Will to move with him he didn't though it would be that way.

If someone had asked him in the past if he could see himself in the same position where he was now, it would have never crossed his mind that he would actually be looking forward to that moment. Was he giving away his privacy? It didn't feel like that. He wasn't the one who shared, unless... unless it was for someone he actually cared about. It had been such a long time since he felt like that, he had forgotten the feeling.

Traveling was another affair he was anxious to share with his lover. Could it be a better experience with company? He often asked himself that. He was curious about how his partner would react too. He wondered what expression would appeared on Will's face when he witnessed the wonders that the world had to offer for the first time. Would his eyes shine with the same intensity as when they kissed? Will I be jealous? Will I be happy?

Would his lover allow himself to submerge into that adventure? If Hannibal had money to spare, why not enjoying it with the one he loved? Of course, he didn't want to say it in front of Will, not with those words. Will could consider it cocky. His doggery would convince him that he was being treated like a sugar baby. And he was especially sensitive to that topic after what that student of him said on her blog. So the expected response was that he would get offended. Do you think I'm a mutt who needs to be rescued? That was something Hannibal imagined he could say. I don't see you that way, Will. Although that's how you perceive yourself at some level.

The dogs could become a problem or Will would turned them into an excuse to reject his proposal... And that was another thing he couldn't say aloud in those terms. Alana could take care of them, she share his love for animals, though perhaps not at the same extent.

\- "You two have been dating for quite a long time, I don't see any problem with that."

Thank god they were still friends. No one else besides Alana was going to listen to his problems without judgment or give him wise counsel. Despise their fail attempt of a date things were good between them. With another person friendship would be awkward, they would start to avoid each other surreptitiously and eventually lose all contact, but with Alana that wasn't the case and Will would be eternally grateful to have a friend like her.

\- "I'm not surprised though," She continued. "I've always thought of you as the kind of guy with commitment issues, no offense."

\- "None taken." He replied slightly annoyed, taking another sip of coffee. Did he have the problem with getting into serious relationships or people had a problem with him? "But I'm not that kind of guy, that's not the problem."

\- "What's the problem, then?" Her eyes looked at him deeply. She was pushing him to go into places of his mind where he didn't feel comfortable. But he had to face it, that was the only way.

\- "I... I don't want to ruin it." I always do.

Usually, when he got to close to someone, they stepped aside. It was easier to push people away before they did that to him. That was a rather juvenile behaviour but somehow it felt safer. He didn't want to draw Hannibal away.

She reached out and lay her hand on his.

\- "Why do you think you'd ruin it, Will?"

Reluctantly he rejected her gesture of support, drawing his hand away and refusing to look up at her face. Slowly he shook his head.

\- "You can tell me." She sighed. "Why did you call if you don't want to talk? I can't help you if you don't let me know what's going on."

\- "... He will get tired of me."

Noticing the aura of discomfort that surrounded his lover was getting easier and easier to Hannibal. Will was avoiding eye contact even more than usual, only short answers came out of his mouth and he wasn't eating at all, he was simply playing with his food as if he were expecting to find a solution to his problems on the plate.

\- "I could try and help you, but there's no much I can do if you don't explain me what is happening."

\- "There's nothing."

\- "Doesn't look like it"

Will took a deep breath and covered his mouth with his hand. He usually did that when there was something he didn't want to say, trying to find an easier way to express his thoughts as he made time with the gesture.

\- "Why do you want to live with me?" His smile attempt to show looseness but his evasive eyes were a clear sign of concern mixed with annoyance.

The question didn't surprise Hannibal.

\- "Why wouldn't I?"

\- "Don't you think that the closeness could be an annoyance?" His voice trailed off.

Hannibal didn't look at him, he knew what he meant.

-"You were the one who say that wanted us to become closer first. I'm not trying to reproach you, I just want to know what changed. You feel I'm pushing you, perhaps?"

I wish I had a clear answer.

-"I know what I said and I don't regret it." His answer was firm despite his unsteadiness about the topic. "I know you're trying to do the right thing but I feel like a burden. I'm still looking for another job but in the meantime I can't help feeling this..."

His lover reached across to table to hold Will's hand.

-"I knew this could be a problem for you, but it doesn't have to be."

Will bit his lower lip. Is not the only problem...

-"Hannibal... I'm not the person to do this. You don't want to live with me." He surprised himself by the rising tone of his voice. "You'll see me as a hassle, a nuisance, I know it. I will become something trivial. And I... I..." He felt he was losing his breath. "This is a mistake."

-"I disagree."

The ease with which he took his words brought forth a horrible mixture of feelings inside him. He could have stood up abruptly and flipped the table but... He also wanted to believe that his lover actually thought this was just what they had to do, what would make them happy.

-"Will, do I look like the kind of person who doesn't think things through before acting?"

-"No, but-"

-"Do you think I would've brought this forward if I thought such thing was possible? It wasn't a line when I told you that you are the most attractive person I've ever met. You don't cease to enthrall me. I can be capricious but I swear to you this is not a whim. I want to do this."

A faint smile curled on Will's lips, but he pursed them short after. His pride didn't let it show. Hannibal would know it anyway.

During the whole conversation he felt his chest was tight, there was a clasp on his heart, but now it turned into something different. A fluttering sensation, he felt he was thrilling.

-"Me too... I want to do it too."


	11. Consummation

He could feel Hannibal's breath against the fabric of his boxers. The anticipation of what was coming made his heart beat faster. His hands struggle against the soft fabric that wrapped his wrists. His body quivered. It was really too much to bear all at once. He almost felt as if he was suffocating, being smothered as he was.

Hannibal adored seeing his lover in that way, shivering with the slightest touch.

-"You are so eager, Will... Pretending to be prude when we're outside the bedroom. I should punish you for being such an hypocrite."

-"Do it, then." He said between gasps. Being helpless and on the possibility of being tortured by his lover if so he wished was what he wanted at the moment.

To shut Will's whimpers Hannibal kissed him deeply and gave his lip a sharp bite. His hands were busy teasing his waistline, feinting to pull his briefs down at any moment. He pulled away from the kiss, affectionately licking Will's lips before repeating his actions on his neck.

His body was shocked with the most unexpected pleasure and Will's head was spinning, completely getting out of control and out of any kind of reasoning. He was moaning louder and louder.

As usual, Hannibal didn't do what his lover was hoping for but that didn't mean he didn't enjoy it. His hands grabbed Will's buttocks, bringing him a little higher so he could sink his teeth into his inner thigh instead, leaving a noticeable red mark.

The idea of leaving his partner marks that only they could see, embellishing his entire body with red prints... That was something that delighted Hannibal the most and so he continued nibbling and sucking that sensitive area a bit more, stopping when he noticed he was starting to draw blood.

To frustrate Will even more, he casually rubbed his cheek against his neglected erection from time to time.

When he stopped that action and draw back from his nether regions to kiss his lips tenderly, Will knew exactly what he was going to say.

\- "Turn around for me."

There it was.

\- "I hate you so much." Will mumbled, throwing his head back.

Hannibal kissed his lips again, gently biting his lower lip as he tugged a little bit before looking at him into his eyes.

\- "I love you too."

* * *

That was the day Hannibal was going to take him and the dogs to their new home. He had been so secretive about it, Will wasn't sure what to expect. His mind was picturing the most flamboyant sort of houses. However, if that was what Hannibal had chosen, he probably would have mentioned something about the dogs, a little warning to make sure they wouldn't damage the integrity of the place.

Their belongings had been taken to the house already, everything should be on its right place, only they were missing, so Hannibal was taking him and the boys to the scene. Two little ones were on Will's laps, the others quietly sitting on the back seat.

They can act like furry gentlemen when they want, Hannibal should give them more credit and let them stay in even when they had "important" visitors. Just don't put little tuxedos on them, I hate it when people dress their pets as if they were toys.

When the vehicle left the city Will was surprised. Since he had told Hannibal that he didn't mind if they didn't move out to a place like Wolf Trap if he preferred something closer to civilization he assumed his lover would pick a residential area. Will's words weren't exactly true, but since he was the one taking care of the whole matter Will didn't want to be persnickety.

Hannibal took noticed of Will's sudden growing excitement and smiled to himself.

Several minutes passed before the car finally stopped at the land they sought. The older man took a moment to look at the expression of his partner looking at the big chalé located a few meters from where he had parked.

-"Was this really necessary?" Will asked without looking at Hannibal.

By the tone of his voice he knew that the comment wasn't actually a complaint. That was the semi-ironic tone he used as a way of responding to the things that overtook him.

Both got out of the car so Will could inspect the place that now belonged to them. He felt weird, it was slightly bizarre to imagine that this was home. Leaving a farmhouse behind to settle on such place. It was beautiful in an odd way. Rustic and elegant. He wasn't sure whether the building was actually larger or smaller than Hannibal's old mansion but amid that green sea of grass it certainly looked grandiose.

-"What do you think?" Hannibal asked.

-"I don't know..." He shrugged jokingly. "I hope there's enough place for the dogs."

His loved one chuckled and took his hand. The dogs already seemed used to their new territory. As Will was admiring the facade they were playing around and rolling in the green grass.

-"Come on. Let me show you our home." Hannibal said with one of his most gallant smiles.

* * *

When the inside tour concluded, Hannibal took him outside. The dogs followed them happily, sniffing and exploring those unknown lands.

-"When I saw this part I thought this was definitely the place for us."

Hannibal told Will that there was a surprise waiting for him outside the house, but it was a bit far but they didn't have to walk much but they had to go through the grove that surrounded their palace.

Even though he was having a good feeling about it, Will was feeling slightly impatient. Why don't you just tell me where we're going? Are you taking me deep in the forest to kill me where no one will hear me scream?

-"Any suspicion?" Hannibal said all of a sudden. Will quickly gave a curious glance at him. He looked so out of place guiding him through the trees wearing his suit that it made Will smirk. "You have an idea what it is?"

When the ground began to decline he could hear the sound of the water as they stepped forward.

And there it was at last, the final surprise Hannibal had for him.

A captivating glow appeared before his eyes. The radiance of the scenery took his breath away.

-"This stream is part of the property and it's all yours. It almost looks like a fairytale hiding, don't you think?"

Indeed, it did. The water haven reflected the afternoon sunshine, it felt so homely and warm that the mere glance at the place left you breathless. The reflexion of the autumnal trees on the surface distorted from time to time due to underwater movements; their lair was full of life.

It didn't only look like a marvelous fishing spot but it was also a beautiful site to have a picnic, perfectly peaceful to read a book, it was the sort of place an artist would put in their easel to start a masterpiece. It was... too much.

-"I didn't ask for all this..." He bit his lip. "I don't want to sound ungrateful. I mean, this is wonderful but-"

-"You deserve this." His partner insisted, capturing his face to place a kiss on his forehead. "Even if you still want to think that you don't, to me you do and I want you to have it."

He shut his eyes down as he pursed his lips. It felt so very strange, being pampered like that.

-"Why would you do something like this for me?" For someone like me.

Hannibal caressed his cheek and lean to give him a peck on the lips. Will returned the gesture weakly, he felt bounded, imprisoned by the feeling that he had done nothing to be worthy of that sort of treatment.

-"Do you really need an answer?"

Did he perhaps needed to hear it to feel it was real? No, that wasn't what he felt. It didn't sound right. He shouldn't need that. And at that moment he finally realized that in fact, he didn't.

All his life he had thought he was too stubborn and proud to accept anything from anyone, material or not. It wasn't that, neither pride or stubbornness, none of that was stopping him, it was something else. The feeling that not being worthy of what was given, not feeling good enough to allow himself to that. It was the first time someone made him feel loved. He was important to Hannibal, the same way Hannibal was important and dear to him. No one else would make him feel complete.

Will shook his head slowly. His arms held on to Hannibal as his lips sought to his lover's, capturing them with all his affection. He could have sworn that he felt that his heart skip a beat. Hannibal's arms surrounded him with tenderness, he felt his warmth. If that fervour was to end his life, it would be worthwhile.

-"Good. That's what I thought." But still, Hannibal wanted to say it. No other words felt sweeter when being pronounced. He would never get tired of saying it. He would never be able to silence the feeling. "I love you, Will."

To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you I shall be unique in all the world.


End file.
